Bihar journalist shot dead by unidentified gunmen, CM orders high-level inquiry

Patna: Unidentified assailants gunned down a local journalist of a Hindi daily in Bihar’s Araria district on Friday, police said.

The incident occurred in Prem Nagar under Raniganj police station at around 5.30 a.m.

The accused, who came on a bike, and called the victim Vimal Kumar to come out of his house. As soon as he stepped out, one of the attackers shot him on the right side of the chest.

“The accused collapsed on the ground and died on the spot. The family members rushed him to the Sadar hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” Araria SP Ashok Kumar Singh said.

“We have registered an FIR against two persons and the investigation is underway. We have received one dead cartridge from the spot. We have called for a dog squad and FSL team to collect the evidence. Efforts are on to identify the accused,” Singh said.

Vimal Kumar was a witness in the murder case of his brother who was killed in 2019.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar  ordered a high-level inquiry into the murder of a Hindi daily journalist.

“It was an extremely unfortunate and painful incident. I have asked the officers to look after this matter and take action against the accused,” the Chief Minister said.